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US Can't Justify Keeping Troops in Afghanistan'¯, Biden Says - WATCH LIVE

Steve Herman

   President Joe Biden is telling Americans on Wednesday that he is
   withdrawing all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 11 because
   the country cannot justify staying there two decades after the
   terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

   WATCH LIVE at 2:15 pm EDT

   "We went to Afghanistan because of a horrific attack that happened 20
   years ago," Biden said in his address released by the White House.
   "That cannot explain why we should remain there in 2021."

   "We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military
   presence in Afghanistan hoping to create the ideal conditions for our
   withdrawal, expecting a different result," Biden said.

   The U.S. leader said he is now the fourth president to oversee an
   American troop presence in Afghanistan -- two Republicans and two
   Democrats -- and vowed to not pass on the responsibility to a fifth.

   "After consulting closely with our allies and partners, with our
   military leaders and intelligence professionals, with our diplomats and
   development experts, and with Congress and [Vice President Kamala
   Harris], I have concluded that it is time to end America's longest war.
   It is time for American troops to come home," he said.

   He said the U.S. would continue its diplomatic and humanitarian work in
   Afghanistan and support the Kabul government.

   Biden said the U.S. and its allies would support training and help
   equip nearly 300,000 Afghan forces, as well as peace talks between the
   Afghan government and Taliban fighters.

   Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Brussels on Wednesday to
   discuss the withdrawal plans with NATO allies, and said the United
   States remainedcommitted to Afghanistan's future.'¯

   "Together we have achieved the goals that we set out to achieve, and
   now it is time to bring our forces home," Blinken said.

   Biden's decision will keep 3,000 U.S. troops on the ground in
   Afghanistan beyond the'¯May 1'¯deadline that had been'¯agreed to in a
   deal Washington negotiated in Doha last year with the Taliban when
   Donald Trump was president. '¯'¯'¯'¯'¯

   The Taliban on Wednesday said they wantedall foreign forces out of
   Afghanistan "on the date specified in the Doha Agreement," and that "if
   the agreement is adhered to, a pathway to addressing the remaining
   issues will also be found."

   Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid added on Twitter, "If the
   agreement is breached and foreign forces fail to exit our country on
   the specified date, problems will certainly be compounded and those
   [who]failed to comply with the agreement will be held liable,"

   News of the U.S troop withdrawal plans had already prompted the Taliban
   to cancel their participation in a 10-day peace conference between
   Afghanistan's warring sides later this month in Turkey.

   FILE - U.S. soldiers load onto a Chinook helicopter to head out on a
   mission in Afghanistan, Jan. 15, 2019.

   Meanwhile, a'¯pessimistic'¯U.S.'¯intelligence'¯report'¯predicted'¯that
   a peace deal'¯was'¯unlikely in the next'¯year'¯and'¯that
   the'¯Taliban'¯-- an enemy of the democratically elected government of
   Afghanistan -- would'¯make battlefield gains.'¯'¯'¯

   "The Afghan government will struggle to hold the Taliban at bay if the
   coalition withdraws support,"'¯said an unclassified version of the
   report released by the Office of the Director of National
   Intelligence.'¯'¯'¯'¯

   Several prominent senators of the opposition Republican Party
   assailedBiden's troop withdrawal decision.'¯'¯'¯

   The Biden administration "plans to turn tail and abandon the fight in
   Afghanistan," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a
   statement. "Precipitously withdrawing U.S. forces from Afghanistan is a
   grave mistake."'¯'¯'¯'¯

   "A full withdrawal from Afghanistan is dumber than dirt and devilishly
   dangerous," said Senator Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally. "President
   Biden will have, in essence, canceled an insurance policy against
   another 9/11."'¯'¯'¯

   Biden's decision won praise from those who believe the United States is
   no closer to winning the war today than it was more than a decade ago
   or would be in the future.'¯'¯

   "It has been harder in Washington to end a war than it is to start
   one," said Quincy Institute Chief Executive Officer Lora Lumpe, a
   veteran humanitarian disarmament campaigner. "With this decision Biden
   has proven his ability to make the right calls even when they're
   extremely difficult.'¯The White House should be applauded for taking
   this off-ramp from the 20-year-long war."'¯

   Ken Bredemeier and national security correspondent Jeff Seldin
   contributed to this report from Washington, Ayaz Gul contributedfrom
   Islamabad.

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